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How Europe signed up for primates

Posted: 21 November 2007

This how Europe signed up to WD40. Scotland gave 100% backing, but Denmark proved the most primate-friendly EU state. The table also shows which states are responsible for the most primate experiments. The data from 2002* does not include all EU members. Spain conducts relatively few tests but has Europe’s largest supply facility.

Country    Total MEPs    MEPs who signed WD40    % of MEPs who signed    % of EU primate tests
Denmark    14    13    93%    0.05%
Austria    18    16    89%    0.7%
Ireland    13    11    84%    Zero
Finland    14    11    78%    Zero
Belgium    24    16    66%    5%
Cyprus    6    4    66%    unavailable
Estonia    6    4    66%    unavailable
Latvia    9    6    66%    unavailable
Luxembourg    6    4    66%    Zero
Slovakia    14    9    64%    unavailable
UK    78    49    63%    31%
Italy    78    48    61%    4%
Malta    5    3    60%    unavailable
Romania    35    20    57%    unavailable
Slovenia    7    4    57%    unavailable
Netherlands    27    15    55%    3%
Poland    54    30    55%    unavailable
France    78    39    50%    37%
Greece    24    12    50%    Zero
Portugal    24    12    50%    Zero
Spain    54    25    46%    0.6%
Lithuania    13    6    46%    unavailable
Hungary    24    11    46%    unavailable
Bulgaria    18    8    44%    unavailable
Germany    99    41    41%    18%
Czech Republic    24    9    37%    unavailable
Sweden    19    7    36%    0.8%
Full Parliament    785    433    55%

*European Commission: Annex to the Report on the Statistics on the Number of Animals used for Experimental and other Scientific Purposes in the Member States of the European Union in the year 2002

See details of all MEPs by country by visiting:
Contact your MEPs to end primate tests

This is the text of Written Declaration 40/2007:

Pursuant to Rule 116 of the Rules of Procedure by Jens Holm, Rebecca Harms, John Bowis, Martine Roure and Mojca Drčar Murko

0040/2007 Written declaration on primates in scientific experiments

The European Parliament, having regard to Rule 116 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas more than 80% of respondents to the 2006 Commission?s public consultation on animals in experiments considered the use of primates in experiments as not acceptable,

B. whereas more than 10 000 primates are used in experiments every year in EU laboratories,

C. noting that almost all primate species share more than 90% of their DNA with humans and it is acknowledged that the primate species have a capacity to suffer greatly in captivity,

D. whereas 26% of primate species are in danger of extinction and wild-caught primates continue to be used in laboratories, in addition it may be difficult to protect primates from threats such as human consumption if it is perceived that these species are used freely by Western academic institutions,

E. whereas advanced technology and techniques now provide alternative methods that are proving to be more efficient and reliable than primate experiments, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), microdosing, computer modelling or tissue and cell culture,

F. noting that despite genetic similarities, there are important differences between humans and other primates, and primate experiments cannot match the precision of human-based study,

1. Urges the Commission, the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament to use the revision process of Directive 86/609/EC as an opportunity to:

(a) make ending the use of apes and wild-caught monkeys in scientific experiments an urgent priority,

(b) establish a timetable for replacing the use of all primates in scientific experiments with alternatives;

2. Instructs its President to forward this declaration, together with the names of the signatories, to the Council, the Commission and the Member States.

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